the 'there's no such thing as a stupid question' bike maintenance thread

hesker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118824252#Comment_118824252

I’d usually use old diesel or petrol. Of the stuff in your list hexane is the closet to petrol.

I’d say methanol would do a good job too as it mixes well with water and oily stuff.

Start off with hexane and finish with acetone. Acetone evaporates quickly so the chain will dry quickly. It also mixes well with hexane and water.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118824252#Comment_118824252

No idea which solvents would work best, to be fair, but it seemed like an opportune moment to see if there were any bench top power supply units being dumped 😁😁

CramCycle

Cheers, got a new chain the other day and took a guess, went with degreaser, followed by Methanol and then Acetone. Will do the next clean on my old chain with Hexane, Methanol and then Acetone. Going to use lab grade paraffin for waxing then. The 1 watt for the additives and 10 fold the price are outside my acceptable cost/benefit ratio analysis.

WOT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118703853#Comment_118703853

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118701194#Comment_118701194

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118710630#Comment_118710630

To crack this nut I bought a sledge!

Picked up this beauty on eBay for a good price and reasonable lead time (+brexit charges etc etc).

5minutes later and the ID is increased to clear a 27.2 post perfectly.

It’s available if someone needs. Very satisfying.

thanks all for your input.

cletus

Excellent @WOT. I think that might be the first time someone followed my advice...ever🤣🤣

I was going to ask this in the motorbike forum but I think the question also applies to pedal bikes as like most motorbikes they have chains that need to be looked after.

In my Haynes manual for the motorbike it recommends cleaning the chain with paraffin although I have heard in America they use kerosene.

I have tried googling but I am struggling to find anywhere here in Ireland that sells paraffin or kerosene used for cleaning. I'd appreciate if anyone knows a place that sells either or somewhere online where I can get it imported.

woody33

Home heating oil is kerosene.

hesker

A bit of petrol or diesel will do just as well. Just don’t pour it down your drain when finished.

Rosahane

Paraffin and kerosene are the much the same thing. Paraffin is a bit more refined and will burn with less smoke so was ideal for lamps and heaters that were used indoors.

flatface

Wheel issue help needed! I have what looks and feels like a loose cassette. I took the cassette and freewheel off and cleaned and tightened everything but it’s still wobbly. Looking at the freewheel it looks like the bearing closest to the lock nut has too much give in it. Wheel is campagnolo Kamsin. Any ideas?

https://streamable.com/7ggwuu

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118874523#Comment_118874523

Do you use the front 3 at any point or do you stick mainly to one? This will answer your question. Dependent on the bike but most likely there is a wide spread at the rear and the front is small enough that while you might spin out, you won't struggle to get there in the end. My partners bike has a 1x6 and she can keep pace with me on my fancy bike so the engine is a bigger factor.

This said, €189 is very cheap, the gears would not be my first concern, make sure to keep your receipt and that you are happy it is in good working order before leaving the shop.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118875109#Comment_118875109

Compare the gearing then is your best bet, what is the size of the largest and smallest chainrings on the front and cogs on the back of your current bike, and then check what it is on the bike you are looking at. More concerning will be the comparison of the small front and large back as this will be your lowest gear, if thats OK, then you will definelty get around.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118875169#Comment_118875169

Its not as complicated as it sounds, count the teeth on the largest cog on the back and the smallest one on the front, do the same for the new bike and post the numbers and someone here will tell you is it reasonable.

cletus

Or just post a link to the bike of Halfords website

cletus

Actually, is it this one?

https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bikes/all-bikes/indi-tc1-mens-588332.html

Not much more money gets you a similar bike with a gear range closer to what you are used to

https://www.halfords.ie/bikes/commuter-bikes/apollo-transfer-mens-hybrid-bike---18%22%2C-21%22-frames-626581.html

CramCycle

The Apollo should be lighter as well with alloy frame vs the pig iron

Wildly Boaring

Very stupid question time.

What is going to be the limiting factor on wider tyres on my road bike?

Was 25mm went 28mm and really found an improvement. Thinking new wheels (always thinking new wheels) and 30s.

Wheels, brakes or frame.

Cube attain on mavic askiums with 105s.

https://archiv.cube.eu/en/2018/177100

magicbastarder

what sort of clearance can you currently see on it?

Wildly Boaring

Looks enough on the frame.

So will the brake calipers get past, not really sure they will without dismantling every time.?

Will a normal wheel take a 30mm clincher or do I need a wider wheel?

Wildly Boaring

And by dismantling I mean. Letting off the cable 🤣

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876552#Comment_118876552

Shimano quote a maximum tyre width of 28 mm for those brakes: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/105-5800/BR-5800.html

Don't forget that wider tyres are also taller, so vertical clearance rather than horizontal clearance may be the limiting factor.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876552#Comment_118876552

I think Shimano state 28mm limit for the standard 105 brakes, though Shimano have a reputation for being conservative, so not sure. I suspect the (somewhat useless) answer to your question is "it depends", though to render it a bit more useful - frame clearance will be your major issiue. My old Specialized supposedly took 28s but I ran Conti 4 Season 25s for the most part and there wasn't much space (though I think these do come up slightly bigger than stated) Wheel width (internal) can make a big difference on tire profile as well.

Could you get your hands on a 30 (even a well used one would probably do) and try it on for clearance before you make the leap?

flatface

Looks like the Khamsin shimano free hub has cartridge bearings. I think is a few of these need replacing. Are they standard size and easy enough to do yourself?

Wildly Boaring

I took a couple shimano freehubs apart in the last year.

Very standard cartridge bearings 6000 RS and 6007 RS

Be written on the side of them anyway

flatface

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118879154#Comment_118879154

Do you need a press to get them in?

Wildly Boaring

No. Hard to get apart, and I damaged a bearing getting it out. But ok going in. Can't remember but I'd have given a bit of timber a light tap if necessary

jonnybravo

Hi. After two years of my commuting bike parked up I'm heading back to the office and one my hydraulic brakes isn't working (brakes are Shimano BR-M315, Hydr. Disc Brake). Any idea what would be causing this? Would bleeding it and refilling the fluid fix the issue? I've never done this before but from online tutorials it looks manageable.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118889092#Comment_118889092

it depends on what you mean by not working. Can you pull the brake lever, does it go all the way to the handlebar, is there any resistance, can you see movement at the caliper?

CramCycle

Also check are the pads worn, as I learned from experience.

jonnybravo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118889117#Comment_118889117

Thanks for coming back to me. I can pull the lever the full way back (no resistance) and the caliper barely moves.